Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Mission Impossible: Teapot Edition

Spousal Unit and I are getting antsy about choosing and buying a teapot, so we at last have a savings plan underway. This will be part of goal #11 for me: getting a tea set. The pots we're interested in are rather expensive, so if I only get the pot before my birthday, I'll count that as a goal accomplished, as it's the larger part anyway.

Our plan goes like this: when we save money on something (such as the $10 we saved on groceries last week via coupons), it will go into our savings jar for the teapot. We will not, of course, count up every penny saved, but when it's a significant amount, the cash (or a piece of paper with a number on it) will go into the jar.

By itself, that may save enough for a teapot in a few months - I'm pretty frugal. But as I mentioned, we're really eager for this. So we've added another stipulation: we'll add $5 to the jar for each person when friends or family come to visit us.

Considering that Spousal Unit's family is coming this week, mine is coming next, and a friend is visiting the week after that, I think we'll reach our goal pretty quickly.

I suppose we could just go out and buy the teapot, and then be thrifty in the coming months to compensate. But this method accomplishes several things: we're working up excitement, we'll feel more accomplished in the end, and it gives us time to argue over which designs we prefer.

We see eye-to-eye on so many important things: politics, what makes a marriage work, and cheese improving every meal. But ask us to pick out a movie together or hang something in that blank space on the wall, and we accomplish nothing.

I think that's how it will be with this teapot, so we'll need all the time we can get to agree on one.

A couple of weeks ago, we examined some designs and privately picked our favorites; none of them matched. (We know we want cast iron, so that helps.) Spousal Unit liked the teapot with the elephants.

While Spousal Unit's idea holds more water (literally), I like the symbology of my idea better. Monkeys represent quick wit, energy, and creative genius; elephants represent might, kindness, wisdom, and patience. (Okay, so maybe the symbolism of the elephant is better for a tea party, but the monkey appeals to my writing side.)

Other ideas include the imperial dragon (power, strength, good fortune, happiness, immortality)...